Pats' Dennard admits he violated probation

Cornerback tells court that he was drinking alcohol and driving in Nebraska in July

Associated Press

Published 9:58 pm, Monday, September 16, 2013

Photo: Elise Amendola

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FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2013 file photo, New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard walks along the sideline during the second half of the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Foxborough, Mass. Nebraska prosecutors are moving to have probation revoked for Dennard. Online court records say an arraignment on the revocation motion is scheduled for July 31. The 23-year-old Dennard was pulled over in Lincoln, Neb., early Thursday morning, July 11, 2013, and is charged with first-offense drunken driving, refusing a chemical test and a traffic infraction. It was Dennard's second arrest in 15 months. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File) ORG XMIT: NY152 less

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2013 file photo, New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard walks along the sideline during the second half of the NFL football AFC Championship football game against the Baltimore ... more

Dennard's admission came during a Monday appearance in Lancaster County District Court in Lincoln.

A judge will announce at a disposition hearing Dec. 5 whether his probation will be revoked. He remains free until then.

The probation violation stems from Dennard's arrest on suspicion of drunken driving in Lincoln on July 11. He's set to appear in court Oct. 8 to face misdemeanor charges of first-offense DUI and refusing a chemical test.

Dennard, who played college football at Nebraska, was placed on two years of probation for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest outside a Lincoln bar in 2012.

Neither Dennard nor his attorney commented after Monday's hearing.

Jets: The New York Jets have waived punter Robert Malone and replaced him with Ryan Quigley, who was in training camp with the team. Malone, in his second season with the Jets, set the franchise record last year with a 45.8 gross average, and had the second-best net average in team history at 38.5. He beat out Quigley in camp, and had an 84-yard punt in the season opener against Tampa Bay. But Malone struggled a bit at New England last Thursday night, punting nine times for a 37.1 net. Quigley, from Boston College, had a 40.7-yard net average on 10 punts during the preseason.

Buccaneers: Safety Dashon Goldson has been suspended for one game for flagrant and repeated violations of NFL safety rules prohibiting hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players. Goldson was penalized for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter of Sunday's game against New Orleans for making direct, helmet-to-helmet contact with a defenseless receiver, Darren Sproles. The suspension was imposed Monday by NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks. Goldson can't practice this week nor play in the Buccaneers' game on Sunday against New England. He can return to football activities with the team next Monday. The violation was Goldson's fifth for unnecessary roughness since 2011 and his second in the first two weeks of the 2013 season. Goldson was fined $30,000 last week for striking a defenseless player in the head and neck area against the New York Jets.

Lions: Coach Jim Schwartz says tests on Reggie Bush's left knee were "encouraging," and his ailment isn't a long-term injury. Bush took a helmet to his left knee in the first half Sunday at Arizona and played only briefly in the third quarter, leading to the Lions losing 25-21. Bush accounted for 69 yards of offense in two-plus quarters against the Cardinals after having 191 yards from scrimmage in an opening-week win over Minnesota in his Detroit debut. The Lions definitely missed Bush against Arizona, where they were held scoreless on offense in the second half.

Panthers: Free safety Charles Godfrey has torn his right Achilles' tendon and is out for the season.Godfrey sustained the injury during the second half of Carolina's 24-23 loss to Buffalo while breaking up a pass to Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson in the corner of the end zone. Coach Ron Rivera says the Panthers will re-evaluate the team's other four injured defensive backs — Quintin Mikell (foot), Josh Thomas (concussion), Josh Norman (thigh) and DJ Moore (knee) — on Wednesday.

Ravens: Baltimore is counting on having injured running back Ray Rice this Sunday against the unbeaten Houston Texans, even though the three-time Pro Bowl star may not be healthy enough to practice this week. Rice strained his left hip flexor Sunday in the fourth quarter of Baltimore's 14-6 win over the Cleveland Browns. The good news is that the team has not scheduled an MRI to assess the extent of the damage.